New Delhi, Oct 18 (ANI): Even as BJP's PM Candidate, Narendra Modi said that if all the money kept in Swiss banks was got back to the country, it would not have to go looking for gold, the Congress on Friday took a jibe at him saying if he had too much information about the same, he must report it to the Government.Oct 18, 2013

Raipur, Oct 18 (ANI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Raman Singh on Friday took a jibe at Congress Party's vice-president, Rahul Gandhi and said he should tackle the corruption happening within the Congress-led UPA government rather than pointing loopholes within states.Oct 18, 2013

Guwahati, Oct 18 (ANI): Situated in Kamrup District of Assam, the Deepor Beel is one of the famous wetlands of the region, and is home to several species of birds. However, due to continuous human interference and a high level of pollution, the condition of the wetland has deteriorated. To spread awareness about the need to protect the wetland and the harmful impact of using plastic, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently organised a camp in Guwahati. Students from the Sankardev Niketan participated in the camp and raised awareness through songs, folk dances and slogans. The wetland, that has also been declared a bird sanctuary, is a part of the Asian Wetland Directory, and was also declared a Ramsar site in 2002. The site attracts large number of visitors, including research scholars, students and tourists. About 122 species of seasonal, migratory and residential birds visit the beel every year. This large water body also houses a wide variety of amphibians, reptiles, insects and tree species. Owing to frequent killing of birds, unchecked fishing and encroachment, it has become imperative to take necessary steps for its protection.Oct 18, 2013

Chennai, Oct 18 (ANI): Launching a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA government, Gujarat Chief minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Friday that a cyclone of change is sweeping the nation. Addressing people in Chennai, Modi said that the huge cyclone Phailin could not do much damage as nothing can stand in the way of the huge cyclone of change sweeping the country. He also mocked the digging for gold in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district following a sadhu's dream saying that the black money stashed away in Swiss banks is worth much more than the gold reportedly hidden in a fort in Unnao.Oct 18, 2013

Agartala, Oct 18 (ANI): Devout Muslims across India's
northeastern states congregated at mosques to offer
prayers on the occasion of the feast of Eid-al-Adha on
Wednesday. Believers offer domestic animals as a
ritual sacrifice to the Almighty to mark this
festival. According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet
Abraham was blessed with a son, Ishmael, at a very
advanced age and nurtured a deep love for the boy. The
event commemorates Prophet Abraham's willingness to
sacrifice his son. The ritual of sacrifice symbolises
obedience and loyalty to God. Muslims worldwide
traditionally slaughter a four-legged animal in
commemoration. The meat is then distributed among the
family and neighbours as well as the poor and the
needy. But before the sacrifice, men, women and
children flock to mosques around the country to take
part in the prayers. Eid also marks the end of the
annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca and is considered to be
a day of joy, since martyrdom itself is a blessing.Oct 18, 2013

Imphal, Oct 18 (ANI): Tribes living in the hills and
plains of northeastern India come together to
participate and compete in Hiyang Hiren Tanana, the
traditional boat race competition, held annually two
days ahead of the Mera Houchongba celebrations, a
festival which encourages brotherhood among tribal
communities. On Wednesday hundreds of locals dressed
in their traditional northeast Indian attire, came to
participate in the festivities of an annual boat race
competition which is organised annually two days ahead
of the religious festival, Mera Houchongba. All 36
rowers or volunteers which include two team leaders
(Tengmai Lappa) who took part in the boat race were
blessed by the titular king ofIndia's northeastern
Manipur state, Leishemba Sanajaoba, during a ceremony
held at Sana Konung (Manipur Royal Palace) on Tuesday.
Hiyang HirenTanana (Traditional Boat Race) and Mera
Houchongba are the two most important festivals of
Manipur which bind the people of the valley with the
hills. The two festivals are being celebrated in
Manipur since 33 A. D. whenManipur was ruled by King
Nongda Lairen Pakhangba.Oct 18, 2013

Indore, Oct 18 (ANI): A goat has been tending and
feeding a tiger cub disowned by its own mother, a
tigress at a zoo in Indore district of India's central
Madhya Pradesh state. Born a couple of weeks ago, the
tiger cub, along with its two siblings, was attacked
by its mother at birth. The attack killed the other
two siblings and the third one was left paralysed in
its lower limbs and spinal cord.
Worried for the cub's growth, the zoo authorities
arranged for a goat that is feeding the cub and treats
the cub like one of its own kind. A bigger challenge
that the authorities face now is the treatment of the
cub. Yadav said that they were inspecting the spinal
cord injuries of the cub and would treat the cub.
The zoo authorities observed a change in the behavior
of the tigress since the time the cubs were born. It
became more violent and refused to feed her cubs.Oct 18, 2013

New Delhi, Oct 18 (ANI): Even as the Aam Aadmi Party claimed that it will grab 33 out of 70 seats in the upcoming Assembly Elections in the national capital, the Congress on Friday ridiculed the party calling it a joke.Oct 18, 2013

Lucknow. Oct 18 (ANI): Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday said that the state government is very careful as some entities are trying to spread communalism in the state. Yadav further added that such conspiracy won’t be successful. The SP government has denied permission to carry out ‘Sankalp Diwas yatra’ by VHP in the state.Oct 18, 2013

New Delhi, Oct 18 (ANI): While releasing numbers of its internal survey ahead of Delhi polls, the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday claimed that it will grab 33 out of 70 seats in the upcoming Assembly Elections in the national capital. The survey was conducted in all the 70 constituencies in Delhi.Oct 18, 2013

New Delhi, Oct 18 (ANI): Even as Congress leader Digvijay Singh has lashed out at Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and said that Gujarat has one of the highest per capita debt liabilities, the BJP on Friday ridiculed him by saying that Digvijay was acting like a polling agent of Modi.Oct 18, 2013

New Delhi, Oct 18 (ANI): Swiss authorities have arrested alleged middleman Guido Ralph Haschke, on charges of bribery, in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. 63-year-old Haschke, who claims to provide 'project advisory services' could be brought to Italy by next week in case he prefers not to appeal against extradition proceedings. As per an Italian news agency, a court in Switzerland has ruled that Haschke can be extradited to Italy. Haschke was briefly arrested by Swiss authorities in October, 2012 in connection with the probe but he denied any wrongdoing. The Italian and Indian agencies have been probing the Rs 3600 crore helicopter contract for alleged kickbacks to Indian officials.Oct 18, 2013